A Thing From the Past
by Dark Panther 452
Summary: X5/353 didn't escape in 2009 with her brothers and sisters. She went back to help her brother out and now, ten years later, she must come face to face with this brother again on a mission from Manticore.
1. Prologue

Manticore Facility; Gillette, Wyoming; 2009  
  
Assemble, Zack's hands signaled. We all looked around, checking over our shoulders and to our sides before crouching low and running to Zack. Standing tall, Zack did a head count. I waited patiently as he made sure we were all there. Next to me, my brother Zane reached over and squeezed my hand without a word. I smiled, taking a deep breath. Time's up Zack signaled to us. Using his hands, Zack showed us where the danger zone was. I glanced at Zane, trembling with fear.  
  
My eyes lingered back to Zack when Zane let go of my hand. He was pairing us off and sending us in different directions. Each pair took off without any complaint. Everyone trusted Zack, loved him. He was our CO, our brother, and we had full faith that he would do everything to get us to the perimeter fence. Zack paired Zane and me off in the third to last group. He pointed to the left and without a word, Zane and I began towards the left.  
  
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Zack watching each group, making sure they were clear, before running off himself. Zane jabbed me with his elbow, signaling for me to pay attention. I nodded and looked around. We were clear. Zane and I ran as fast as we could towards the fence. This is almost too easy, I thought.  
  
As if the Blue Lady had heard my thoughts, two soldiers appeared out of nowhere, reaching blindly for us. I felt a light tug on my sleeve but they hadn't been able to stop me. I kept running and glanced to my left. Then to my right. Where was Zane? I heard guns in the background and a cry come from one of my sisters. I looked back and saw that both of the soldiers had gotten Zane. He was doing his best to attack them but couldn't fight them off. I took another step towards the perimeter fence, knowing we weren't supposed to go back if our partners were caught and then looked at Zane again. My brother. He looked so scared.  
  
I turned around and ran full speed at the soldiers, ramming my head into one of them and knocking him down. Zane used the opportunity to pull his arm away from the other as I held off the other soldier. The soldier put up a fight against Zane, knocking him down. I left the soldier and went to help Zane. I fought against the soldier as Zane pulled himself to his feet. We both began running but before I'd gotten more then two steps away, the soldiers dove at my feet and wrapped their arms around my ankles.  
  
Zane kept running, thinking I was right behind him. The other soldier got a hold of my shoulders as another appeared with a taser. Zane looked back and saw the blue electricity being shot throughout my body. "Keri!" he yelled, his eyes wide. He couldn't fight against a taser and he knew it. I began to feel dizzy as the shocks didn't stop.  
  
Another soldier took off after Zane and he had no choice but to keep running. He climbed over the fence but stopped on the other side, looking back at me. Go, I mouthed as my eyes became clouded over. Zane looked at me hesitantly as the gun shots started firing. I watched as Zane's eyes filled with tears and then he turned and ran off into the woods.  
  
My eyes shut as I received a final blow. I regained consciousness being held next to Colonel Donald Lydecker. He was staring at me, his expression cold. "Take her back inside," he told the soldier. "Isolation." 


	2. A New Assignment

Manticore Facility; Gillette, Wyoming; 2020  
  
"X5/353 reporting as ordered Sir," I said standing at attention. Colonel Lydecker looked up from his desk, expressionless, as usual.  
  
"At ease 353," he said finally, motioning for me to sit down. I took the seat sitting in front of Lydecker's desk. He looked through a few of his papers sitting neatly on the desk in front of him before returning his look to me. "I've been told that you've been doing well lately. Following orders, not talking back, and you completed your last deep cover mission efficiently and to your fullest ability. Am I correct?"  
  
"Yes Sir," I replied. I blinked hard, praying to the Blue Lady that Lydecker wouldn't ask what inspired this sudden change in my attitude. I mean, what could I say? That I was sick of being punished? Beaten and thrown down in the basement with the Nomalies.  
  
"That's good news," Lydecker said simply. I didn't say anything, knowing there was a catch. Lydecker didn't bring soldier into his office to tell them they were doing good. I'd trained hard for ten years, took my classes and excelled in each of them; but always had a cocky, un-soldier like quality that Manticore frowned upon.  
  
Lydecker looked down at his papers one more time and then folded his hands in front of him, resting his elbows on his desk. " X5/205 has been located in Los Angeles, California. Sources indicate that he may be working at an automotive shop under the alias Zane Campbell," Lydecker paused, letting this sink in. My mind wandered back to that cold winter night almost ten years ago when Zane escaped along with twelve other of my brothers and sisters.  
  
"Based on the results displayed by X5/599 when he was recaptured a few months ago, it is believed that gathering information by means of extraction is unsuccessful when it comes to the members of your former unit. However, when asked for information by X5/452, X5/599 revealed the locations of several of the escaped X5's. Though we were unable to capture any of them, we learned some valuable information."  
  
I remembered Zack being captured. Actually, he'd turned himself in to prevent our little sister Max from coming back here. They'd tortured him, did everything they could to get information from him. I had snuck out of the barracks and begged the doctor to stop, that he couldn't take it anymore. Zack hadn't seen me, but I checked in on him often, telling him to hold on for a little while longer. That I was trying to help. I finally came up with a plan that both the doctor and Lydecker agreed with. They let him go, with a transmitter on him, and let him contact Max. When she'd come to help him, he told her about the whereabouts of some of my brothers and sisters. Luckily, they all escaped.  
  
Lydecker paused for almost a full minute before continuing. "X5/353 we are sending you to Los Angeles. This is a very important deep cover mission. I believe as a child, you had a nickname. What did the others call you, 353?"  
  
"Keri, Sir," I told him. My heart was racing but I kept a straight face as I listened to what Lydecker wanted me to do.  
  
"Right. Keri," Lydecker repeated. "Your mission is to go to Los Angeles as Keri, not X5/353. You will find X5/205 and gain his trust as his little sister again. Then you will find out all the information you can from him. Under no circumstances will you drop cover or attempt to capture X5/205 until given orders otherwise, is that clear?"  
  
"Yes Sir."  
  
" Manticore has set up a base outside of California. You will send daily mission reports there. No surveillance or transmitters will be involved. Any and all information you receive, you will send to base. Is that clear?" Lydecker asked.  
  
"Yes Sir."  
  
"We have set up an apartment for you, 10468 140th Waller Road, APT 5C but once in Los Angeles you will go straight to 10468 140th Waller Road, APT 7C. We have set up a base for you there. You will send all reports from this area. Computer access along with phone lines linked only to the base outside of California and the Manticore base in Wyoming. By no means will you use this apartment for anything not mission related. Two sets of keys will be found in the apartment, the first set for your apartment, the second for the vehicle we have provided for you. The vehicle will be parked outside the apartment building with the license plate FKR-0353. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes Sir," I replied for the third time.  
  
Lydecker nodded. "Good. Do you have any questions?"  
  
"When do I leave?" I asked, a little excited about this mission. Not only would I get to leave Manticore for awhile, I could see my brother again, and I didn't even have to harm him. I didn't want to put the others in danger, but orders are order.  
  
"You will deport tomorrow at 0530," Lydecker replied. "We have got you a plane ticket all ready as well as a ride from the airport to the apartment building."  
  
"What should I tell X5/205 about why I'm there?"  
  
"After the '09 escape you were recaptured and retrained, though never reclaimed loyalty to us. You escaped on your own on September 31, 2020. Ran from Gillette, Wyoming until you came to San Diego, California. Didn't want to stay in one place too long so you relocated to Los Angeles, where you run into X5/205 when repairs are needed on your automobile," Lydecker replied promptly. It was obvious he had been planning this mission for awhile. "Any other questions?" he asked.  
  
"Not at the moment Sir," I replied.  
  
"You have got the afternoon off then. Feel free to drop by if you have any other questions or go into town, just be back by 0530 tomorrow morning."  
  
"Yes Sir. Thank you Sir," I replied, standing. Once you got older, Manticore loosened the leash a little. At a certain age, and after you'd earned a certain degree of trust, you were allowed off the base in your off duty time. You weren't confined to the barracks or training all the time, you were free to roam to base in between classes and such. It actually wasn't half bad, if you didn't count the relentless training we DID have and the couple days in Psyops every few months for evaluation. Though fun wasn't enforced, it wasn't forbidden either; so long as it didn't interfere with the mission or your training.  
  
"Your dismissed," Lydecker told me as I stood. I saluted him and then turned and walked out of the room. 


	3. Welcome to LA

I walked down the hall, trying to decide what to do with my free time. As I reached the barracks, I went into my room. The barracks had been separated after the '09 escape. There were two to a room now, each room smaller then they used to be, but a good size for two soldiers to share.  
  
My roommate was lying in his bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. I pulled my long dark brown hair from the tight ponytail it had been in and sat down on my own bed, pulling at the hair with my fingers. X5/601 didn't even look over. I cocked my head to the side and made my way over to his bed, sitting down beside him and trying to read his expression.  
  
"You okay?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah, yeah of course," he replied. He looked up at me as if he'd just realized who I was. "Oh, hey 353."  
  
"Keri," I said shortly.  
  
He shook his head but smiled. "One of these days the instructors are going to hear you still calling yourself Keri and they'll throw you into reindoctrination or Psyops. Your lucky you didn't get thrown in there on 2009," he told me, for the millionth time.  
  
"I know, I know," I said, rolling my eyes. "So what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," X5/601 replied, returning his stare to the ceiling.  
  
"Liar," I accused. "Tell me what's wrong."  
  
My previous roommate was one of the finest of the X5 series. She was strict and loyal to fault and had made life with her unbearable. She never wanted to talk or do anything beside training and classes. I guess that's why they'd shipped her off a couple months ago to a higher ranking facility and moved X5/601 in with me. X5/601 had the same cocky attitude that I did and I loved having him as a roommate. We'd grown close over the past couple months and I liked to think of him as a friend, or a brother, more then a roommate and unit member.  
  
X5/601 grinned at me and shook his head. "I heard the Colonel talking about shipping me off," he said, his smile fading. My expression grew grim and I looked at him, concerned.  
  
"What? Why?" I asked.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know if it's final or anything, I might have heard wrong," he said. He paused and looked around. "I don't want to leave this place... I mean... I like being your roommate, you know, hanging out with you and everything."  
  
I smiled and nodded. "I know," I said. "I don't think they're going to ship you off. We're short on soldiers as it is and they're only sending out the best of the..." I paused. "I mean, not that you aren't a good soldier, they just..."  
  
X5/601 laughed, a rare sound coming from an X5. "I know what you mean 353. Keri. I know that I'm not a perfect soldier." He sighed and looked back at the ceiling.  
  
"Well, hey, I've got the afternoon off. Let's go get some drinks or something," I suggested. "Maybe it'll take your mind off whatever they've got planned for you."  
  
"Why do you have the afternoon off? You've got classes tonight."  
  
"Oh, um, I'm leaving in the morning."  
  
"What!" X5/601 exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"  
  
"Calm down. It's just for a deep cover mission, I'll be back," I said, rolling my eyes. I explained the mission to X5/601 and he nodded. He agreed to go out for the night and we spent the evening playing pool and drinking before returning to the compound late at night.  
  
The rest of the night was spent talking with him. I admitted that I was scared to see Zane again. And how I didn't want to put my brothers and sisters in danger. I knew he wouldn't turn me in for treason so I told him everything. We didn't sleep that night. I lay in his bed, my head resting on his chest as we talked and when 0530 neared, I sat up and dressed in my casuals.  
  
"Bye 601," I said to him, not wanting to leave just yet.  
  
X5/601 sat up and watched me for a second. "Bryan," he replied.  
  
"What?" I asked him as I laced my shoes. I gave him a curious look as he stood up and walked toward the door. He waited until I'd finished lacing my shoes and had joined him by the door.  
  
"Bryan," he repeated. "Call me Bryan."  
  
I grinned and hugged him. "Bye Bryan," I said with a smile. I didn't know what was going on as he smiled and took my hand but it felt... right.  
  
"Bye," I replied. I gave him a quick look, hoping it wouldn't be the last time I saw him, and then rushed down the hall. The ride to the airport was quick. I was re-briefed on the mission during the ride and then boarded the plane. I slept during the plane ride and when I awoke, we were just over LA. I looked down at the lights of the city and smiled. So this is where my brother picked to live, I thought with a smile to myself.  
  
Everything was exactly as Lydecker had described to me. My headquarters, the room next to my apartment, was amazing. An incredible computer system, scanners, fax machines, copiers, telephones... anything I could ever need to keep track of information... was there. I contacted Gillette to let them know I'd arrived and then went to check out where I'd be living.  
  
The place was unbelievable. Everything was already set up, all the food and furniture I needed. In my room was clothes in my size along with all types of accessories and things I'd need. I planned on taking a long time on this mission after I'd looked around. Outside I found a perfect Mustang Convertible, one of the old models. I stared at the keys in my hand and back at the car. I let out a long, happy whistle and grinned. "Welcome to LA," I said to myself. 


End file.
